Monday, July 16, 2007

Walking on the wild (grain) side

I am pretty unimaginative with my grains. Steady dates include brown rice, whole wheat pasta, flour of course, bulghur, and oatmeal. I know a few gluten-intolerant people, but I've always thought they were the only ones who ate the more exotic grains, like spelt. (Also, I'm not very interested in any food that can only be bought at Whole Foods, since it requires a special trip.) But my sister passed along the following recipe which is tasty and different. I've got some spelt flour now and who knows what grain madness will ensue next.

I found that spelt is "naturally high in fiber, and contains significantly more protein than wheat. Spelt is also higher in B complex vitamins, and both simple and complex carbohydrates. Another important benefit is that some gluten-sensitive people have been able to include spelt-based foods in their diets." (Link here.) Since the pancakes have scallions and regular flour in them, I didn't get a totally clear sense of the true flavor of spelt, but the pancakes were good and had a nice nutty flavor.

As an aside, I leave tomorrow for a short vacation in Guatemala. We'll see what the vegetarian/vegan offerings look like there. I'm bringing some Lara bars and mixed nuts just in case...

Whisk all ingredients except scallions together in a bowl. Heat asmall amount of veg. oil in 9 or 10" pan over med-hi heat. Pour 1/4 to 1/5 ofthe batter into the pan, spreading it to cover the bottom of the pan.Scatter scallions and sesame seeds over the top. When the top looks dry (about2 mins), flip pancake and cook for 1-2 min on other side. Repeat withremaining batter and onions. Keep warm while making tofu & bok choi.